140 Characters Or Less
by actinchik16
Summary: Serenity is a typical 17 year old girl whose Loyalty to Criss Angel is unimaginable. Her only form of communication to him is through Twitter. As she tries desperately to reach him, she doesn't realize that those 140 char. could change her life forever
1. Chapter 1: Wasting

**PLEASE NOTE! I don't own Criss Angel or any of his family members/crew members. The only characters I own are the fictitious ones in this story. Nor do I know Criss...although he's replied to me on Twitter! :D**

**Chapter One:**

"Criss…" The word escaped her without having to even move her mouth. Her long, silky light pink sheer dress brushed the sand beneath her and her voice echoed throughout the vastness of the desert. He frantically ran after her, wanting to know who this mysterious girl was. She appeared to be running in chopped slow motions across the desert floor and wouldn't stop now matter how many times he called out to her.

"Stop! Please wait a minute! Who are you?" She said nothing and continued running. A laugh almost similar to one's of a child's echoed. He then saw a close up of her face as she turned to the side to see him chasing after her. Her long brown hair swept away from her glowing face and her teeth shined through her genuine smile. Her green eyes sparkled like the stars, her cheeks were rosy pink, and her lips were a dark red, she was breathtaking. She suddenly stopped in the middle of the sand but didn't turn around to face him.

Criss reached out his hand to her and stepped forward. His foot sank into the sand and pulled him downwards. He screamed and tried to fight the grip of whatever was pulling him down. The sand turned into water and Criss instantly fell into it while she stood on top, not even phased by the events around her. He swam his way to where water met the air but could not get through, as if there was a barrier stopping him. He pounded on the water and began to panic. He could still see her standing on the water's surface and looking out to the horizon. His vision began to go black and his lungs began running out of oxygen…it was the end.

Criss woke up screaming and sweating in his bed before he realized it was just a dream. He put his face into his hands and tried to calm himself down. This was the fourth time this week that he had this dream, same girl, same setting and always the same ending. Before the violence had occurred within the dreams, they consisted of any normal event but this girl had made appearances in all of them. He knew it was a sign but of what, he wasn't sure yet.

He finally calmed himself down enough to lie back down in his bed and pulled the covers loosely over his bare chest. He looked up at the ceiling and felt his eyes getting heavier and heavier before finally falling back asleep.

I stared blankly at the red letters and numbers posted on the white board, vigorously waving my pencil between my fingers. Looking at the clock of the fifth time in the past thirty seconds, I was disappointed to finally realize that there were still ten minutes left in class. I breathed out a sigh of annoyance and continued to doodle in the margin of my notes.

I'm Serenity DiVanno. I'm a typical seventeen-year-old girl in my last year of high school. Today, I was sitting in my AP physics class, ready to shoot myself in the head from the complexity of trying to explain properly how a ball rolls. I yawned and cracked my knuckles, my hands were stiff from all of the writing I had done. By writing, I mean doodling. Just then, I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned around carefully and took the piece of folded paper my classmate had to give me.

I looked diagonally behind me and smiled to my best friend Emily. We always wrote each other notes during class, especially boring ones like this. She signaled for me to read it, I nodded and quickly turned around. I discreetly opened the note and saw the page covered in different colored inks and a drawing of a cartoon character in the middle. I quietly laughed to myself until I reached the very bottom. It read,

_Hey btw, did Criss ever answer your Q from the Live Tweet?_

I scoffed and rolled my eyes. I turned back around and using hand signals and mouthing, I told her that he didn't. Emily mouthed an "aww" and signaled a teardrop running down her cheek. I smirked and positioned my body face front again. I placed my head onto my hand and only wished for the bell to ring.

In case you've never heard; which is very unlikely because it's known throughout my school that I am the biggest Criss Angel fan anyone has ever met. People used to make fun of me for it, but I didn't care…I always remained loyal to him and his craft. He's been my inspiration since I first saw him on MINDFREAK a couple years ago and have always dreamed of meeting him. The closest I could get as of right now was through Twitter. He usually has a question and answer live tweeting session every month and I desperately longed for a tweet from him. Unfortunately, all of my attempts failed. Too many Loyals ask him any question they can think of…sometimes the same questions over and over again…never any new ones! I swear, if someone asks him to come to his or her city one more time, I'll blow up!

Finally, he bell had rung; I jumped out of my seat and headed out the door with Emily by my side.

"Hey, I'm sorry he never answered you back! Maybe next time!"

I shrugged, "Eh, it's okay. I'm kind of used to it by now. He probably has so many people tweeting him, he doesn't see my questions." I half-laughed. "But I'm not giving up until he finally tweets me back!"

Emily laughed along with me and quickly changed the subject. "Hey, did you finish that Italian work today?"

I rolled my eyes and pulled out a few sheets of paper out of my folder. "Do you ever do your own work?" I laughed at her.

"Hey, hey, hey! I do it...just not when you do!" She took the papers from me and shoved them into her folder. "Thanks a lot! I owe you one!"

"You owe me a lot more than ONE!" I teased. As we parted ways to our lockers, we waved goodbye and figured we'd probably talk later. I opened up my locker and stared at the pictures I had posted in there…all of them Criss. I stared for a few moments and lightly touched one of them with my fingers and sighed. I then realized that someone could be looking and stopped. I gathered what I needed from my locker and headed out the doors and rushed to get home. I didn't care what it took; I was going to be noticed by him. I was going to talk to Criss Angel.


	2. Chapter 2: Time

**In case you were wondering, the titles of my chapters are going to all be from Criss' Soundtrack: "Mind Freak". I think the names of the songs work with the chapters of the stories **

**Reviews are greatly appreciated!**

**Chapter Two:**

I only lived about ten minutes away from the school, so I usually walked home everyday. Behind the school was a back road path that led me to the main road; on which I lived. It was so peaceful and quiet back there; the only sounds to be heard were the ones of nature gracing me with its beauty. The trees rustled in the wind and the sun poked through wherever there was room. I cut through about midway to get to the main road and down a little street where I lived.

I walked up the driveway to my back door. There was only one car in the driveway and it was mine, so no one was home. As I walked in the door, I was greeted by my cat Axl, who followed me all the way upstairs to my bedroom. I threw my stuff down onto the floor and immediately reached for my laptop. I went right to my e-mail account and hit 'compose' to start a new letter.

This was going to be the most heartfelt letter I'd ever written to someone in my entire life. I know, it sounds cliché but it was true. Besides, the story wouldn't be as interesting if I said that an ordinary e-mail was about to be composed at my fingertips…so bare with me. The letter was going to be sent to Criss' general team e-mail, where I'm sure thousands of crazed fans write to him everyday…this made it no easier on my life to come up with something worth reading.

I tapped my fingers continuously on the side of the keys and stared at the text box, not even knowing where to start. I looked around the room searching for inspiration, as if the walls were going to suddenly start speaking to me! I pushed out some air from between my lips and looked down at my cat sleeping on the floor.

"Axl…. I got nothing!" He only stretched himself out more and fell back asleep. I sighed and placed my fingers over the keys. "Well, I guess there's only one way to start off a letter…."

_Dear Criss, _

I wrote. "_Captivating…He'll surely notice you for that explosive greeting!"_ I thought to myself. If you couldn't tell, I'm very sarcastic with myself.

_I hope that you're reading this because of the tweet I sent you just moments ago. _

All part of my plan after the letter was written. I wrote some of the initial bull that goes into an introductory fan letter, who I was, where I was from, my age and all that jazz. I kind of skimmed through that so I could get down to the real reason why I wrote the letter. I poured out my heart to him about how loyal I was to his craft and that he's helped me in my times of hardship, he helps me to forget the reality of the world and makes me want to spread his message. I explained how people thought I was crazy for being so loyal to him and how mean they were to me when I was younger, but I never cared because I wasn't going to change my beliefs for anyone.

I then got down to my family life and that at times, I've wanted to run away, or sometimes do things more drastic and harmful to myself that I knew wouldn't solve anything, but I thought would at least be something…but he's always kept me alive and believing that it gets better. Whenever I felt that way, I watched him…even if just for a few moments and in those minutes, nothing else mattered except the connection between what he was doing and me. His existence to me was true magic. I truly value him and at times felt like I understood him more than anyone ever could.

Of course I had to throw in that it was my dream to meet him and I gave him my address in case he was ever in the area and wanted to stop by. I doubted he ever would, but I'd regret it if I never said it. I finally closed it off with,

_Much Loyal Love Forever,_

_ Serenity DiVanno 3_

Before sending the letter, I logged onto my twitter and went straight to Criss' profile. The last tweet he had sent was about 10 hours ago. I didn't know when he'd be tweeting again but he usually did it throughout the day, so I had a really high chance of him seeing my mention to him. I hit the 'reply' button on one of his tweets. I only had one hundred and forty characters or less to sum up what I needed to, so it needed to be good. My tweet to him was simple and to the point,

_crissangel hey criss! Hope ur havin an awesome day! If u hav time, wud u mind reading a very personal email I sent u?wud mean a lot! Luv u!_

I sent both the tweet and the letter and sighed as my sight directed out my window. I quietly whispered, "Please God, please let him read it." God must've heard my prayers because just then, a box had appeared on Criss' profile to signal he was online: One New Tweet!


	3. Chapter 3: Wraith

**So apparently, the text heart doesn't show up on here…in my last chapter at the end of Serenity's letter, that 3 is supposed to be a heart…sorry! Lol!**

**Chapter 3:**

Three thousand miles away was the grand city of Las Vegas, the place everyone dreams of going. The time there was around twelve in the afternoon, three hours behind where Serenity lived. The sun was at its highest peak and all the people of Las Vegas were up and about their daily business…all except for one.

I had just woken up from a long, deep sleep after yet another reoccurring nightmare. These were starting to get out of control and I still wasn't sure of what they meant! Nevertheless, I was happy to now be on the first day of my three-week vacation! My live show was tiring me out and even though I'm a work-a-holic, I need a break too once in a while!

I threw on a robe and walked into my workroom a few doors down from the bedroom. I was surprised to find Hammie sleeping on my chair. I picked him up and scooped him into my lap as I sat down and decided to greet my Loyals on twitter.

"What do ya say Hammie? Wanna see what the Loyals are up to today?" Hammie purred and nestled himself closer into my arms. I stroked his back and rubbed his stomach while I waited for the site to load. I composed my new tweet and sent it out for everyone to see,

_Morning everyone! Starting my 3 week vaca 2day! Hope everyone has a great day! Luv u all! XoCa_

Within minutes, I saw that the mentions of my name were growing! I decided to look through some of them and maybe give some of them a greeting! I mostly saw the usual:

_You too Criss!_

_Luv u Criss!_

_Plz tweet me criss!_

_Criss u shud come to Colorado!_

I got a kick out of what some of them tweeted, especially whenever they talked to each other about me…. the things that some of them say! I continued scrolling down when I came across one tweet that stuck out from a girl named Serenity. I found her name intriguing, mostly because that's what I had named my home. I looked at her picture and my jaw dropped wide open.

This was the exact same girl that had been haunting my dreams for the past few months! I was sure of it! Her face, her hair, her gleaming smile, everything about her was exactly how I dreamt her! She had written me an e-mail and I found no reason why I shouldn't read it! This was already freaking me out enough, so a letter couldn't possibly do anymore damage to me!

The letter had only been sent a few minutes ago so it was easy to find in my inbox. As I read the letter, I felt my entire body just slump and become enticed in the words I was reading. I was amazed at this girl's dedication and how much I really meant to her. I was struck by her honesty and sincerity, I could tell she wasn't just another fan looking for a reply; she truly meant everything she wrote. For her to put out her personal life for me to read took a lot of courage and trust. I wanted to meet her, not just because of her letter…but because maybe these dreams had led me to someone; or something, life changing.


	4. Chapter 4: Sick

**Apparently a black line doesn't show up either…in the last chapter, the first and second paragraphs were supposed to have a black line in between them. :/ There's still a lot I gotta learn about this apparently XD Anyway, enjoy this chapter! **

**Chapter 4:**

The nighttime sky had finally brushed its way over my home in New Jersey. I slumped into my bed without any emotion or thoughts due to still no reply back from the heart-pouring letter I sent earlier that day. I looked over at my clock, which read Eleven-eleven.

_Humph…ironic._

I thought to myself, slightly amused at the coincidental time. I looked out my window into the gorgeous night sky. My eyes were drawn to a beautiful white gleaming star that seemed to reflect red, blue and yellow sparkles. I sighed and gave it my full-on focus.

_You know what I want; I'd just be wasting my breath saying it again…_

With that, I reached over and shut my lamp and laid my head down onto the pillows. I looked over to my left to see Criss' face staring back at me, looking me directly in the eye. The more I looked at him, the more lost I became in his gaze. His eyes drew me into places I never knew existed, places beyond comprehension. Slowly, emotion started making its way back into my system until it crept its way into my heart and leaked through my weak, delicate, bruised eyes.

My eyes had already been through so many tears making their passage by one too many times. I silently cried, wishing from the bottom of my soul that he'd known everything I felt, presently feel and will forever feel. All I wanted was for him to know, but then again, what would be the benefit on my behalf? Satisfaction? It wasn't good enough. Nothing would ever be good enough. I looked away and turned my face into the sheets wrapped around me. I had no desire to dream, I only wanted to see black. Nothing but- well…nothing.

Then it hit me…all of the reasons seemed to fit together, all of the tears had a purpose, everything became so clear. I was in love with him. This wasn't some bullshit teenage "I think I'm in love" story…this was real. Even more than that…it was surreal. Yet somehow, it made sense because there was no other explanation! I truly, deeply, uncontrollably loved Criss Angel. I didn't care if it was right or wrong, who's to say what "correct" love is anyway? What does it matter the age, color, race etc if a feeling is true and pure? I didn't care how society deemed it. I loved him. Tell me that if I were any other adult, this wouldn't be a different story, so why is it treated as such? As far as I'm concerned, there's no written law that you have to be a certain age in order to be able to fall in love. People seem to have made up and engraved that law into their heads all on their own.

Like I said, I didn't care about the age difference. When broken down and all of the insignificant factors are taken away; love is just energy, that which has no age, color or voice. It speaks by itself through its beautiful actions, and that's solely how I see it. Unfortunately, if I were to explain this to anyone else, I'd be in the white coasts within a matter of minutes, I'd have a shrink constantly trying to analyze what it was I was going through and I can tell you right now, the answer through a shrink's eyes would never be love. Not for someone of my age, experience or maturity level. The answer would probably consist of Prozac and thousands of dollars for a forty-five minute session. My parents especially would think I'm crazy and do whatever they could to normalize me.

I had no one to talk to, no place to go. I was all alone on this, forced to keep my true emotions bottled up inside and live with it for the rest of my life. For once in my life, I was truly scared. They say when you keep your feelings hidden from the world, you go mad. Well, I think that point had been reached in my life long ago. It was just whether or not I'd be able to discover it that would determine the future situation. For me, there was only one question that went along with that situation: hell or purgatory? Suffer and be tortured for eternity in which case, that would only mean continuing to feel the pain I did at that very moment. The other was to feel nothing, to see nothing and to be nothing. At this point, purgatory seemed more inviting. I closed my eyes as I continued to cry until I eventually fell asleep.

I woke up the next morning feeling groggy and light headed. The last thing in the world I felt like doing was to go to school at six-thirty in the morning, but there were only a few more weeks left so might as well get it over with. I walked into the bathroom and threw some cold water on my face and stared at myself in the mirror. I felt embarrassed to look myself in the eye, ashamed of what I had become. However, I was never ashamed of my feelings for him. When I went to go put on my favorite necklace, I gripped it tightly before slipping the chain around my neck. I let go to see Criss' symbol dangling down and the end of a key attached that read 'Believe'.

School was any other day for me; I just desperately wanted to get out of there. On the way home, I thanked God at least ten times that it was almost over. That I was almost free! I had no strict plan for what I wanted to do after I graduated. Honestly, I wanted to take the car and just go! Roam the country and be free of everything I knew. Run away to Vegas, maybe. I've wanted to be an artist of some sorts since I was little and I figured Vegas might have a great market for that type of stuff. Plus, I'd want to look for Criss and see if he had a few minutes to talk. I'd tell him everything that I'd discovered about myself. Maybe he'd think I'm crazy…maybe he wouldn't. I don't know…

But then, how could I explain that to my family? They'd think I was just another runaway! I flung my hands over my head as I groaned and stepped into my front door. Not long after, I heard my brother; Cass walk through the door with my mom. He's only five years younger than I am so I'm pretty close with him. My mom; on the other hand, I can either be really close to or I can hate her guts. I usually tried to stay on her good side but at certain times, she made it hard. My dad wouldn't be home for about another half hour from his job, only a couple towns over.

I wasn't planning on going out that night so I changed out of my school clothes and threw on a pair of loose shorts and a camisole. I threw my hair in a bun and could finally rub my eyes, smearing my makeup across the side of my face. I couldn't bring myself to check Criss' twitter and I had no work to do, so I blasted some music in my ears and laid my head back onto the pillows.


	5. Chapter 5: Controlled Chaos

**Chapter 5:**

I sat lost in my own thoughts on the flight to New York. I had my own jet so it was easier for me to fly right away. I was traveling by myself and told none of my family members why I was leaving. They'd think I was nuts for meeting a fan and I knew J.D. would throw a fit. Costa probably wouldn't care as much…just as long as I brought him back something from New York. At least it was on my vacation time so I didn't have to worry about cancelling 'beLIEve' for a while.

I couldn't get my mind off this girl…just the fact that I had been dreaming of her for months was crazy in itself but being a fan of mine added to the factor. I tried to keep pushing the negative thoughts out of my head but they seemed to keep working their way through…

_What if she faked it? What if she just took a picture of someone online and posted it as her picture…and I had seen that picture before? What if she's a sixty year old man looking to bash my career? OR what if it is a fan girl…but she's insane and wants to tie me up and lock me in the basement?_

Then my rational self stepped in.

_Oh, for crying-out-loud, Criss…you're a grown man…what advantage does a teenager have over you? And since when do you care about people who hate you? You usually just overlook them. Nothing is going to go wrong…your intuition has never been wrong before and it won't be now._

I took a deep breath and lost myself in my music. I still had about three hours to go before I landed…home sweet home!

I had forgotten I had left my Lamborghini back here…and thank God too. One piece of Vegas I still had with me. If there's one thing I love more than magic…it's my cars! I proudly stepped into my baby and headed off for about two hours worth of driving before I finally reached my destination…I really hoped that this would be worth it…

It was about four-thirty when I arrived at a huge, grey house with what looked to be a pool in the back and a porch on the front of the house. I looked at the mailbox, back down to the slip of paper in my hand. The addresses matched so I stepped out of the car and gazed around.

"I guess this is it…" I sighed as I knocked on the door and anxiously rocked back and forth on my tiptoes. Then I realized,

_Shit! What do I say?_

Too late.

The door creaked open and an older woman, most likely a little older than I was answered the door. The expression on her face was priceless when she realized who was standing on her front porch.

"OH MY GOD!" She exclaimed and took me by surprise. "You're Criss Angel! Oh my God! Please, come in!"

Wow, I didn't even get a chance to say 'Hi' and I was already invited into the house! "Thank you very much, you're very kind. Mrs. DiVanno, right?"

She seemed to be shaking as she pulled me in for a hug, "Yes! Please, call me Josephine!" I then heard her mumble "Oh my God!"

I became flustered. "Pleasure to meet you, Josephine." I then pulled back from her and saw she was red. "It's okay!" I assured her.

She laughed and wiped her eyes, "I'm so sorry! We watch you all the time here! My daughter's in love with you! What are you doing here in Jersey? Let alone, here?"

I was glad she changed the subject now… "Actually, the reason I'm here is _because _of your daughter. Yesterday, I received a really heartfelt letter from her and I was so moved by it that I wanted to meet her…if that's okay?"

"Of course! She's going to be thrilled to meet you! She's upstairs, I'll call her down for you! Oh, and don't be surprised if she freaks out…she tends to be overly dramatic at times."

I smiled and nodded as she stepped into a small room over to the right where the stairs were. I took a few steps in that direction and looked around at the few aspects of the house that I could. It looked like a typical family home, nothing too special about it…or maybe I had just spent too much time at Serenity to remember what a family house actually looked like…

"SERENITY!" Her mom called up to the top floor. "SOMEONE'S HERE TO SEE YOU!"

"ALRIGHT! I'LL BE RIGHT DOWN!"

I took a breath in and discreetly bit my bottom lip, can't turn back now I guess… I heard footsteps coming down the stairs and my heart sped up a bit. Wait, why am _I_ nervous?

"Yea, mom? Who's here to s-OH MY GOD! I'LL BE RIGHT BACK!" She then quickly turned and bolted back up the stairs…I wasn't quite expecting that kind of reaction…that's a new one.

Both her mom and I turned to each other with confused expressions on our faces. "Serenity…where are you going?" Her mom called back again.

"I LOOK DISGUSTING! MY HAIR ISN'T DECENT AND I'M NOT WEARING EYELINER!" I couldn't help but laugh, since I'm usually the one to have the eyeliner issues. Her mom rolled her eyes and told her to come down quickly. She directed her attention back to me,

"Can I get you something? A drink, maybe?"

"Sure! Whatever you have is fine!" She walked me into the dining room and sat down with me at the table. Upstairs, I could hear banging and mumbles of frustration… I guess it's a teenage girl thing.

"I apologize for my daughter, I told you she's a bit of a drama queen…"

I laughed again and took the drink from her hands. I took a sip before I added, "It's perfectly okay…just a little confusing at first. I'm not really used to people running away if they like me." From the corner of my eye, I saw a figure moving hesitantly towards our direction. I turned to see Serenity walking cautiously toward me with her hands shaking and tears forming in her eyes.

_Wow,_ I thought to myself. _She's even more beautiful in person…that Twitter picture doesn't do her justice!_

I felt myself get nervous again, probably almost as nervous as she appeared to be! I smiled at her and held up a piece of folded paper from my pocket.

"You sent me this letter?" She nodded vigorously. She looked as though she was searching for something to say, but no words escaped her lips. Her sparkling green eyes became glossy and a few tears discreetly began rolling down her cheeks. "Aww! Don't cry! It's okay!" I joked with her. I stood up and walked over to her and before I knew it, I was in one of the most meaningful hugs I'd ever received. She held me so close to her, like she was to be taken away any minute. I heard her sobbing in my chest and I gently stroked her hair to try and calm her down.

"I-I'm sorry!" She finally spoke in a soft, sweet voice. "I can't believe you're here! You're actually here! I never would've thought that I- or you-oh my god!" She pulled away and wiped away the black tracks running down her cheeks. No need for the eyeliner after all I guess…

I continued to smile at her and I knew then that she really was genuine, the earlier worries I had were just a waste of thought…. just as I figured. "Listen, I wanted to tell you in person, truly that your letter was one of the most touching I'd ever received. You really seem like a true Loyal and I truly admire your honesty and openness to allow me to know you as a person, rather than as a fan." She nodded again and spoke,

"Thank you, really, from the bottom of my heart. It means a to hear that you care!"

"Why wouldn't I care about someone who cares more about me than I probably do?" I made her laugh at that and she wrapped her arms around me again tightly. Her mom then interrupted our embrace to ask me,

"So Criss, how long are you out here for? Do you need a place to stay?"

Still hugging Serenity, I responded, "Well, A few weeks and I was just going to stay at a nearby hotel or something."

"Criss! Don't be silly! We have an extra room upstairs that you're more than welcome to use"

"No! I couldn't! I wouldn't want to impose on any of you!"

"Are you kidding? We'd love you around here! It's really no trouble at all! And I don't think Serenity would mind either! You're making her life right now just by hugging her!"

Serenity smiled sarcastically, shrugged her shoulders and replied back, "It's true!"

I laughed and thought it over. Oh, what the hell! It couldn't hurt! Besides, it'd give me a chance to find out more about Serenity. "Alright!" Both her and her mom squealed with happiness.

"But _you're_ helping him unpack!" Her mom pointed to Serenity.

"OKAY!" She exclaimed as she ran out the front door to where I parked my car. I smirked and followed her out as I quoted to myself in my head,

_This is going to be the beginning of a beautiful friendship…_


	6. Chapter 6: Controlled Chaos Part 2

**Chapter 6: **

_Oh my God! Oh my God! OH MY GOD!_ Was basically the only thing I could think of at that moment…I had just ran upstairs to make myself look somewhat decent in front of my idol, who was standing in my doorway! I couldn't believe it! He had actually come all the way from Vegas…to see _ME_? I was surprised that he had even read my letter! I scrambled around my room frantically trying to find something to put on, constantly banging every part of my body against the furniture. They must've thought a murderer was chasing me across the entire top floor!

I ran down the stairs in a hurry and then suddenly, I froze. The butterflies in my stomach turned into a swarm of bees and my hands couldn't stop shaking. Slowly walking towards him, I then realized,

_Crap, I just silently confessed my love to him last night…what the hell do I say?_

I looked like an idiot standing there with my mouth open and quivering, but I lacked the strength in my mouth to say anything.

_Well, you have to say something! Speak, pray tell, SPEAK!_

He then smiled at me, probably noticing how nervous I was. Oh God, that smile of his was so beautiful. It lit up his entire face and always made me want to embrace him. It melted me whenever I saw it and to see it in person made me feel like a river at his feet.

"You sent me this letter?" The only thing I could do was nod like an idiot…and then I started to cry.

_NO!_ I screamed in my head. _He's going to think you're insane! Don't cry! Stop crying this instant!"_

He walked towards me and the only thing I could think of to do was to hug him. I wrapped myself so tightly against him. I didn't care what anyone else thought at that moment, I needed him to know how much he meant to me. No words could convey that to him, only action and right now this was about as far as I could get.

Before this, I couldn't get the words out of my mouth and after, the words couldn't _stop_ coming out of my mouth! I rambled to him and tried wiping away the tears streaming down my face. I looked down at my hands and noticed black smears.

_There was no point of putting on that eyeliner was there?_

"Listen, I wanted to tell you in person, truly that your letter was one of the most touching I'd ever received. You really seem like a true Loyal and I truly admire your honesty and openness to allow me to know you as a person, rather than as a fan."

"Thank you, really, from the bottom of my heart. It means a to hear that you care!"

"Why wouldn't I care about someone who cares more about me than I probably do?"

I laughed at that. _Oh Criss, you have no idea…_

Before I knew it, my mom had invited him to stay at our house for the period of time he was spending here on the East Coast. Forget pinching, someone throw a freakin' brick at me to make sure I'm awake! How did this happen to me, again?

"But _you're_ helping him unpack!" My mom scolded at me. …Is that supposed to be some sort of punishment? Without thought, I bolted outside like Roadrunner where I figured his car was.

"WOW! OH MY GOD!" I turned to see Criss standing behind me.

"What?" He asked casually.

"You brought your Lambo here? This is my favorite of your cars!" I examined the black car glistening in the sunlight in my driveway. In _MY_ driveway! "This is so much cooler than seeing it on TV!" I could tell my entire face was lit up.

"I can take you for a ride later, if you want?"

"Really!" He nodded and smiled. "That'd be awesome!" He walked over to the trunk of the car and opened the hood. He looked shocked due to the fact that there was nothing inside.

"Huh, that's strange…" He closed the hood and put his hand on his chin. Knowing him, he had something up his sleeve. "I know I had my stuff in here! I wonder if-" He opened the hood again and all of his stuff magically appeared! "Ah! There we go!" I stood wide-eyed and open-mouthed! How did he do that?

He turned towards me and laughed. "Well, come on! Your mom said to help out!"

"What-But-How did you do that?" He said nothing, only running a fake zipper across his lips and handed me a bag. I smirked and walked back into the house, MINDFREAKed for the first time.

I led him upstairs to the guest room to help him get situated and then decided to take him on a tour of the house. When he saw my room; which was down the hall from the guest room, he became intrigued. I guess because of all of the posters and pictures I had on my door. He pointed and asked if that was my room.

"Yea, but I don't think you'd want to go in there…It's kind of embarrassing."

"What could be so bad?" He laughed. "I'm sure it's nothing terrible!"

I sighed and smirked, "If you say so…" And led him down the hall to my room. As I opened the door, I muttered, "Told ya so…" My walls were _completely_ covered with pictures and posters…mostly of him. And right in the middle of one of my walls was a giant picture I had drawn of him.

"Wow…It's-um-all me?"

_Oh great, he thinks I'm a psycho…_ I turned red with embarrassment. "Yea-Well-mostly you. There are other people too; along with artwork." I laughed with embarrassment. "Just don't think I'm crazy!"

He laughed too! "Of course not! It's just-I've never seen so many of _me_ before! Your room is badass!"

"Thanks, I think it's the only part of the house with some originality! The rest is just so plain and boring, and I hate being boring."

"I can see that! I admire creativity!" I smiled brightly. He turned his attention to the giant portrait I had drawn of him a few years ago. "THIS. IS. AWESOME! You drew this?"

"Yea! It took me a few weeks but it was totally worth it!"

"Can you make me one of these?"

I stood frozen again "What?"

"Would you be able to draw me something like this? I'd love to hang it at-" He giggled "Serenity."

I played the drums and symbol in mid-air. "Sure! It'd be an honor to perform such a task!" I bowed to him.

He giggled and put his hands in his pocket and moved his foot across the carpet…was he…nervous? "So Serenity, I was wondering if maybe-you know, since you want to see the car and all- would you let me take you out for dinner tonight? I want to get to learn more about you and I think right now, we both feel a little nervous around each other, and-"

"Wait a minute, did you just say that you were _nervous?_ You're nervous around _me_? I think I'm a bit more shaken up than you are!" I joked.

He waved his hand back and forth, "It's a long, complicated story for some other time. But, what do you say? Can I take you out for dinner?"

I smiled from ear to ear and jumped off the ground. "Of course! I'd love to! I'll go get ready now since it's after five already and I have school tomorrow."

"Good idea! I'll be in my room whenever you're ready!" With that, he left me to pamper myself to make sure I looked perfect. I couldn't help but wonder why he was nervous around me? Maybe he did think I was crazy, but then why would he show up here? Either way, I was determined to find out.


	7. Chapter 7: Better Days

**Chapter 7: **

When I looked into Criss' room after I had changed into something nice, he wasn't there. I then heard my younger brother and my dad exclaiming in the living room, only one guess why that was happening. I rushed downstairs to find Criss finishing a demonstration for them involving what looked to be a book.

"What's going on?" Everyone's head turned to see me wearing a dark blue dress shirt, a black skirt and a pair of my nicest flats. My hair was pinned half way up and my makeup was finally decent. Criss' eyes went wide and before he could say anything, my brother replied,

"Criss told me to pick out a page in the book, he read my mind and made the page disappear! IT WAS AWESOME!" I couldn't help but laugh as I kissed my parents goodbye.

"Where are you going?" My dad questioned.

"Criss is taking me out for a bit, I won't be home late." I grabbed Criss' arm and led him to the door. "Love you!" I called back to them. I raced over to his car and jumped up and down like a little schoolgirl. "So where are we going?" He smirked devilishly and opened the car door for me.

"After you, miss." As I sat down in the car, I looked around frantically and analyzed every angle.

"This is so freakin' cool!" Criss took his seat next to me and turned to face me,

"I want you to think of your favorite place to eat right now. Don't say anything to me, but along the way; in your mind, I want you to tell me what direction to go in to get there."

I nodded and gave him a sly smile. "You'll never get it."

He revved the engine and returned the smile. "I like a good challenge." Along the way, I did just what he asked of me, and every time I gave a direction in my mind, he got it right! I shook my head as I laughed with disbelief. When he pulled up to a building, he unbuckled and only spoke four words,

"Hope you like Italian!" He came around to my side and held the door open for me and helped me out of the car.

"Okay, that was incredible! How'd you do that?" He simply shrugged and led me inside. "But; then again, I'd expect nothing less from the greatest!" I teased.

"Oh!" He teased back. "What's that supposed to mean?" I simply shrugged with a smile.

As we sat down; him across from me, he stuttered nervously, "I-um-I didn't want to say anything in front of your family but you look beautiful." He turned his attention back down to his hands and gently bit his lower lip.

"Really?" He smiled while his attention was still directed down. "Well, you could've said it in front of my family…I wouldn't have cared!"

"I didn't want them to think anything bad of me. It's an entirely different perspective coming from an adult, let alone your _parents_."

"I see your point…they can be a bit over-the-top at times."

"Is that what you meant by the mention of your family in that letter?"

"Well, I-" Before I could get into anything, two girls came over to our table. They looked as though they were in their mid-twenties and going to a Brittany Spears concert.

_Easy much?_ I thought.

"Oh my gosh! Criss Angel?" The first one exclaimed.

"We're huge fans of your show!"

_Oh God, even their voices are annoying! Too high pitched!_

"Thank you ladies very much! I appreciate it. What are your names?"

"I'm Jamie." Said the first.

"And I'm Brittany."

_Wow, that's what I call ironically creepy…_

"Pleasure to meet you. Ladies, this is Serenity." He extended his hand towards me and I smiled politely.

"Oh…hi." They rudely replied. "Anyway, it was nice to meet you Criss!" They smiled back at him and gave me a dirty look before they strutted away.

Criss turned to me and gave me a look of sympathy. I grinned at him and told him to watch… I grabbed a few singles from my purse and caught up to the girls.

"Excuse me, I believe these fell out of the bottom of your dresses…try to be more careful where you leave your money next time!" And with that, I left them open mouthed and speechless as I walked back to my table. I've never felt more proud.

Criss was trying so hard to contain his laughter until after they had left. "Now _THAT_ was good!"

"I try!" I high-fived him and got myself situated again.

"So, what was it you were going to say?"

"Nothing, it doesn't matter now…" I took a sip of the drink the waitress brought over to us.

"No, I really want to hear it. Please?"

I couldn't resist him saying please… "Well, a little bit. I don't know…they're a bit old fashioned when it comes to thinking. They're very closed-minded, too. They can either be very nice, or very difficult to talk to and aggravating. They get angry very easily and constantly preach to my brother and I. If I'm going through any personal problems, I don't feel like I can go to them at all. Believe me, I've tried. And with any of the problems I go through, I know that if I ever tell them, their solution would never be to talk it out…it'd be a psychiatrist and medication. Honestly, I don't think it'd help at all and I feel very alone at times. And I've done some things I'm not proud of…" I paused. "That's part of the reason why I love _you_ so much, you help me to feel like there's a way out of it. You help me feel free. I'm very grateful to you, Criss…Sorry if I'm depressing you with any of this!"

He looked deep into my eyes and touched my hand, "I'll always be here if you need to talk to anyone. You can trust me with anything; I want you to know that. I'll help in whatever way I can…what have you done that you're not proud of?"

_Crap, I knew he'd ask._ I took a deep breath and I could feel myself tearing up again, "I've attempted and contemplated suicide on many occasions, I've almost run away a few times, I've cut and bruised myself many times-" He stopped me and spoke gently,

"Please don't ever do any of that ever again. Please promise me?"

I stared into his eyes as he stared back into mine, deeper than anyone has ever looked. He could see into my heart and I could see that he saw the pain that I've felt. Suddenly, I felt as if that pain went away. He took away all of the negativity I've felt, all of the pain I've been through. He made sure I knew that he truly was there for me.

"I promise, Criss. I promise." Nothing could hurt me now.

When we walked out to the parking lot, it was around eight-o-clock, still pretty early. Before we reached the car, Criss stopped me and stood in front of me, holding my hand. The swarm of bees came over me again and I could barely breathe. I finally broke the silence,

"Thank you for tonight. I really had a lot of fun!" He smiled and stuttered again,

"Serenity, there's something I've been wanting to do since you've opened up to me a few hours ago…and I'm hoping you'll let me do it." I said nothing. I only stood with my feet planted in the ground and my eyes focused on his as he leaned in closer.

_He's going to kiss me, oh my God. What do I do? I want to kiss him so badly but I know it's not right! Oh God!_ The thoughts swirled around in my head like a typhoon and I became somewhat dizzy. And then, he kissed my cheek so softly and perfectly. I was kind of relieved. Then I realized that his hand was lightly touching my side. I softly gasped and he pulled back.

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry!" His face turned red with embarrassment.

"Don't be, it's okay!" I assured him. We walked back to the car and I smiled a little to myself…Criss touched me!

"Hey, you want ice cream?" He casually asked.

"I'd love some! Let's go!"

We didn't get back to the house until eleven-thirty that night and everyone was already asleep. We quietly snuck back into the house and made our way to the upstairs floor. Before we parted ways, Criss kissed the top of my hand and joked in a British accent,

"Until the morning, my dear!"

I giggled and kissed his hand back, "Goodnight Criss, thanks again."

"The pleasure's all mine." We each turned back to our rooms and closed the door. I stood, pressing my body against the inside of the door and thought back to the night I had just spent. I smiled to myself and sung as I dressed myself and crawled into my bed.

"_I don't need no dreams when I'm by your side_

_Every moment takes me to paradise_

_Darlin' let me hold you, warm you in my arms and melt your fears away_

_Show you all the magic that a perfect love can make_

_I need you night and day, so baby be mine."_


	8. Chapter 8: Skip

**Chapter 8: **

Over the next few days, Serenity and I spent all of our free time together and became really close friends. Surprisingly, we had more in common than I thought. She was always open, honest and constantly looking for a good time. She even shared the same music and movie interests as I did, except she was more of a fanatic on movies than I was. During her school hours, she'd text me something funny, or what she was thinking of at the moment. Either way, it was always a pleasure to hear from her any time of the day. After school, I'd pick her up and she'd show me some of her favorite places to go. It was always an adventure with her and she never ceased to amaze me with her thoughts.

At night, she'd always want to sit underneath the stars and lay next to me. She loved to just look up and talk for hours on end on whatever came to mind. She'd constantly ask me questions, sometimes deep and personal and others just to start a conversation. She had such an interesting and brilliant mind; I'd wonder why her parents never really listened to what she had to say. I was always so intrigued by her, and her beauty was a whole other story.

Whenever we parted ways at night, I would lie in bed and think about the time I spent with her each and every day. I always thought about her, and my feelings for her were only growing stronger. As much as I didn't want to admit it, I had to accept it. I was falling in love with Serenity.

There was simply no other way to put it. I'd loved her since the first day she appeared to me in my dreams. I loved her when I was sitting down with her to dinner, and I knew how badly I wanted to kiss her lips in the parking lot that night. I loved her each time she spoke to me or when we were alone under the stars at night. It all clicked now! Those dreams I had each and every night, the nightmares with that same girl over and over again, were showing me the girl I was going to fall in love with…but why?

_Wait a minute…girl! Oh my God, she's only seventeen!_ But for some reason, that didn't bother me as much as the fact I still had no idea what she thought of me, or even what I would say to her. Surely, she must detect something?

_Oh my God, I've gone insane!_ I sat up in my bed and rubbed my temples. _Well, I need to say something to her. But what the hell do I say? Maybe I shouldn't say anything yet…I'll wait to see if she shows any signs first._ I breathed out a huge sigh and tried to relax my mind as I drifted off to sleep.

Serenity's POV:

On a regular day of school about a week after Criss has been staying with us, apparently I was the trending topic of the school. Everyone either wanted to hang around me, or shun me. I could care less either way because I knew who my true friends were. I still constantly hung around Emily and she had never asked once about seeing Criss. I was going to introduce her anyway, and she knew that. On that particular day; however, things got very out of hand when it came time for lunch.

I was walking to my table with Emily and a few other friends of mine when a very popular girl; Tara, stopped me in my tracks by shouting out,

"Hey, look guys! It's the magician's whore!" I rolled my eyes and mocked,

"Aww guys, someone's jealous because there's a man in our town she hasn't slept with!" My friends snickered at my comment and two of my guy friends high-fived each other. "Honestly, is this how you get your kicks? You're pathetic!"

"I'm not the one throwing myself to a man twice my age! Who's the pathetic one here?"

"Obviously you are if you're going to make up rumors about me sleeping with him, which I'm not!" I began to turn my back and walk away when I heard her scream out,

"You're right! You're too young for him…but I bet your mom isn't!" The area around us went silent as I abruptly turned around, my face steaming with anger.

"Say that again and I swear to God-"

She laughed manically, "I bet you _anything_ he's at your house right now fucking her so hard, she won't be able to walk normally again! 'Oooh! Criss! Stop it! You're amazing!'" I couldn't take it anymore!

"YOU BITCH!" I screamed as I launched myself at her and landed onto one of the tables, throwing punches at whatever moved. I pulled her hair back so I could get a clear shot at her face, which I did. I then felt a few hands grab my shoulders and pull me off of her. I still continued to kick, scream and punch at whatever I could. My body was still filled with rage and hatred. When some people helped Tara up, I noticed she was bleeding.

I slowly calmed myself down as I saw the principal coming towards us.

_Great…Cue the death bells now_.

"You two, in my office NOW!"

I nodded my head and followed him, trying my best to regain my composure. I heard Tara complaining behind me that her dress was ruined and the bruises wouldn't go away in time for graduation. I couldn't help but scoff. As soon as we sat down across from him in the office, I knew exactly what I wanted to say when he asked me what happened.

Tara; of course, told a complete lie about how I initiated the fight and all she wanted was for us to be friends or whatever bullshit came out of her ditzy mouth. I calmly stated that I was truly sorry for what I had done, but that there was no reason to bring my mother into the conversation, especially in a sexual manner. That anyone else would most likely do the same thing if his or her family were talked about in such a disgusting way. Fortunately, I got the better hand in the punishment and was only forced to have lunch detention the next day. As for Tara, I didn't stick around to hear hers. I was allowed to leave.

When Criss came to pick me up from school that day, I told him how I had gotten into a fight because someone said something nasty about my mother.

"What'd you do to her?" He asked.

"I-umm-I beat her up…" I shyly replied.

"You what! What'd she say that made you beat her up?"

I stayed silent for a few moments.

"Serenity?"

"She-umm- She first said that I was sleeping with you, but then that I was too young for you so you were sleeping with my mom."

"She what? I would've punched her too if she said that to me! I don't blame you!"

I smirked and got in the passenger side of the car. "Thanks."

"And by the way…" Criss added as he sat down. "You're not too young for me."

I smiled and added, "Well, you're not too old for me!"

It then somewhat sunk in what he had just told me…_I_ wasn't too young for him…Was he trying to imply something or was I just going crazy with my feelings towards him? Before I could get too deep, I looked up at Criss and his gaze interrupted my thought process. He looked at me with worry and sadness, he seemed as though something wanted to burst out of him at any moment.

"Criss, is something wrong? You look scared." I placed my hand on top of his and gripped it tightly, rubbing my thumb across the back of his hand. His skin was so soft and smooth, and touching him sent a rushing wave of adrenaline throughout my entire body. He shook his head and changed the subject.

"Come on, we're going somewhere different today." He started up the car and pulled out of the parking lot. "OH! Wait a second!" He pulled over by the side of the school and pulled his bandana out of his back pocket. "I want it to be a surprise!" He tied it around my eyes and drove off once again.


	9. Chapter 9: Paralyzed

**Chapter 9:**

About a half hour later, we arrived at my surprise destination. The air smelt of salt and the air felt very wet. I could hear seagulls squawking and my face lit up.

"No way! Are we where I think we are?"

"You'll see!" Criss teased. Just then, he picked me up and carried me to his desired place. He told me I wasn't allowed to feel where I was either, which was a dead giveaway. He gently set me down and I could feel the sand in between my flip-flops. I could hear the waves of the ocean roaring against the shore. He leaned in close and spoke softly in my ear, which sent chills down my spine.

"Now, I'm going to take the blindfold off but I need you to keep your eyes closed." I uncontrollably snickered and when he asked why I was laughing, I replied,

"I'm so used to hearing you say 'keep your eyes closed' many times in a row, not just once!" We both laughed because he knew exactly what I meant!

"Come on! I need you to be serious and ke-" He burst out into laughter again.

"Alright! Alright!" I laughed out. "They'll stay shut!" I felt his hands tangle in my hair as he loosened the bandana. I kept my promise to him and my eyes remained shut, even though I wanted to peak. He lightly held my shoulders in his hands and whispered to me softly,

"Open your eyes, Serenity." I obeyed and lost myself in the indescribable amount of beauty placed before my eyes. The sun was glistening on the water and created one section that almost looked like stardust. I hadn't been here for a few years and I've always wanted to come back; Criss knew that.

I smiled so brightly and widely, running around and feeling the sand beneath my feet. I was so happy to be here! I flung my arms wide and pretended that I was flying freely throughout the entire beach. I ran back to Criss and pulled him with me, running with him as fast as we could. When I got tired, I fell back into the sand and Criss collapsed beside me. I looked up at the ocean and decided it was warm enough to go for a swim.

"Criss! Come on! Come swimming with me!" I yelled as I dashed for the gleaming water. I turned around behind me to see him standing up and taking his shirt off. Chills ran up and down my spine again.

_Oh God, do you take joy in torturing me and watching me suffer?_ I then realized I was wearing one of my nicer shirts. _Well, I guess I could take it off...my bra's not see-through and it's like I'd be wearing a bikini anyway…_

I pulled my shirt over my head and threw it on the ground next to me. I had to admit, I did feel sexy being shirtless around him and I enjoyed making myself look attractive for him in hopes to impress him. Oh, who was I kidding? He had no interest in me... Still; I always had that hope that he would. But I guess love does that to you…

I kept my shorts on, as did he with his jeans and dove into the water. Surprisingly, it was warm for this time of year and the place was mostly empty. There were a few other people there, but they were farther away from us. No one was watching or saw him so I had him all to myself.

It was sunset when we finally got out of the water and walked side by side on the beach. We still stayed very close to the ocean, about knee high in water when the ride rolled in.

Criss' POV:

"Would you look at that?" She said, pointing to the pink sun coming down on the horizon. "I don't think I've ever seen anything more beautiful than a sun-set on the water."

"Really? I think I have…" I spoke, brushing my hand against her back.

_Oh God, what am I doing!_ My mind told me that this was a bad idea, but my heart told me the exact opposite.

"What do you mean?" She gasped out.

"I think you're beautiful, Serenity." I then ran my fingers through her hair. Her eyes followed my arm as it moved down and around to the back of her neck. I wanted to kiss her with every bit of passion I had for her. Those lips were taunting me and I begged for them to touch mine. I didn't know how she thought of me as of that moment, and I didn't care. As I leaned in closer to her, her eyes locked onto mine and brought weakness upon my body. Her eyes were so powerful and rich in meaning. She began trembling and her subtle breathing was staggered.

_Oh my God, she's frightened. Maybe I shouldn't do this. No, I KNOW I shouldn't do this…It'll kill me if I don't though…Maybe I-_

Just then, a giant wave came over us and pushed us over with tremendous force. It pushed me under and I was swept all the way back to where the shore first broke. I stood up frantically and wiped the wet sand from my face and bare chest. I looked out to see Serenity still in the spot where the wave crashed into us, laughing hysterically. I walked back over to her with an expression that read '. Okay, it's funny."

"You look like you did when you swam to Mexico!" I laughed,

"Do you relate everything to MINDFREAK?" I jokingly pushed her shoulder.

She gave me a witty look and replied, "I don't know…" She playfully pushed me back. "Maybe I do...Maybe I don't!" When she went to go and push me again, I caught her hands and brought them in close so I could tackle her down into the ocean. She laughed and tried to pin me down, failing since I was stronger than her. I rolled over onto her as another wave crashed onto us. For hours, we played in the ocean again; which I hadn't done in years before today.

I hadn't even noticed that the moon came out when we got out again. A beautiful beam of light hung over us and illuminated the water in the most beautiful way. Serenity and I sat on the sand, watching the waves roll onto the shore and looking up to the stars. I didn't think it was possible to make Serenity's beauty anymore enhanced, but it was. The moon's beams brought out the glossiness of her eyes and the shine in her hair. The light brought so much life to her already perfect skin and teased me in torturous ways.

She nestled her head into my neck and moved her hand across my chest, holding me close to her body. I staggered in on my breaths from the feel of her light touch.

"Criss?"

"Hmm?"

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure, babe. What is it?"

"If you could do one thing right now; without being judged, what would you do?"

I paused. Did she really want me to answer that question? Now, the desire for her was boiling in my system, wanting to burst out of me at any minute. I opened my mouth and took a deep breath in, I was going to do it whether it was right or not. As soon as I began to lean into her, an alarm sounded on a phone.

_DAMN IT!_

She pulled her cell-phone out of her bag to see a text message. Noticing the time, she jumped up and yelled,

"CRAP! It's almost nine-o-clock! We have to go back home! I need to go to bed soon!"

"Oh yeah! Shoot…Come on, let's get our stuff and go." I finally put my shirt back on and drove us both back to the house. On our way back, I knew one thing was for sure; I have absolutely no luck when it comes to timing.

Serenity's POV:

_He almost kissed me…Holy God, he ALMOST KISSED ME!_ I thought to myself as I was in the shower. I still couldn't believe it! He actually did have interest in me? This was surreal, my dream was finally being brought to life and my prayers were finally being answered. I silently cried tears of happiness that were almost invisible as they combined with the flowing water of the shower and began singing again.

_I could stay awake just to hear you breathing_

_Watch you smile while you are sleeping_

_While you're far away and dreaming_

_I could spend my life in this sweet surrender_

_I could stay lost in this moment forever_

_Cuz every moment spent with you is a moment I treasure_

_I don't wanna close my eyes, I don't wanna fall asleep_

_Cuz I'd miss you, babe and I don't wanna miss a thing_

_Cuz even when I dream of you, the sweetest dream will never do_

_I'd still miss you babe and I don't wanna miss a thing_


	10. Chapter 10: Fly

_**Hey! So I'm so happy that people who've read it like it so far! I've gotten a lot of reviews on Twitter from my friends and I'd love to get some more on here from you guys! That way, other people who read this will see it too! ^^ And btw, I don't own any lyrics I post on here, so far the Michael Jackson lyrics and Aerosmith…I just love the songs! ^^ Okay! Enjoy chapter 10! :D**_

**Chapter 10: **

As I lay across my bed after Serenity and I had gotten back from the beach, I thought about the kiss I almost gave her…twice! I was so damn close to finally doing it and each time, I was interrupted! I then thought back to even earlier when she had first taken her shirt off. I don't know how I didn't lose myself there! Her body was just as beautiful as the rest of her and I now only wanted her more. I was slowly dying on the inside; she needed to know how I felt.

I walked out into the hallway and headed to her room when I heard a voice coming from the bathroom. It was already slightly opened so I decided to step inside to figure out what was causing the sound. It was Serenity! She was in the shower, singing to herself what sounded like "I Don't Wanna Miss A Thing".

The curtains were completely drawn shut, but were somewhat see-through. However, it created a very blurry image so I couldn't see anything, just barely the outline of her figure. She was gently playing with the water and almost appeared to be dancing with the way she moved her arms; she was so graceful. She reminded me of when Winona Ryder dances in the snow in Edward Scissorhands.

Her voice was so pure and angelic; I had no idea she could sing! This just added to the many reasons why I loved her. I guess she saw me standing there because I all of a sudden heard a quick scream.

_Oops…_

She stuck her head out of the side of the curtain and scolded, "Criss! What are you doing in here?" Her hair was dripping wet and running down her face and any part of her body that was visible. Her makeup was slightly run and the water droplets were trickling down her parted lips. It took all I had for me not to jump into that shower with her and lavish her with kisses. I looked slightly down to see that the very side of her breast was visible, which failed to be covered by the curtain.

I bit my lip and tried to come up with a practical answer, "I-um…" She then noticed what I was looking at and quickly pulled the curtain over her, turning red in the face.

"I heard you singing from outside and wanted to know what it was…you sing beautifully…" I must've looked like a lobster at this point.

She smiled, "You couldn't wait to tell me that until after I got out of here?" I laughed and told her I was sorry as I exited the bathroom and headed back into my room.

Serenity's POV:

Oh, how badly I wanted to rip that shower curtain open and reveal myself to him! I really wish I had…I didn't know what exactly to do about this. Now that I knew he had interest, do I tell him how I truly feel, or do I only tell him a subtle version until the time was right to reveal everything? I needed advice and decided that Emily was basically the only person I could talk to about this sort of thing. She's been my best friend for about ten years and I knew I could trust her with anything and everything.

The next day was Friday, a week and four days after Criss had arrived. I was graduating in a week, which meant that Criss was leaving in a week and three days. If I was going to say anything to him, the time had to be now. Emily and I sat next to each other in English class, so it made it easy for me to talk to her. I didn't want to get into any more trouble than what had already happened, so I wrote a note to her to be sent back and forth.

_Hey, I need to talk to you about something._

She read it and wrote back, _Sure, what's up?_

_I've been meaning to tell you something, and I also need some advice on it…_

_Ok, sure. I'll try and help any way that I can!_

_Ok…promise you won't tell anyone! This is HUGE and if anyone finds out…YOU are DEAD!_

_I promise, I promise!_

_Ok, well…I had realized this before Criss came and now I think it's become even stronger since then but, I'm in love with him…and I have no idea what to say to him! And I think he likes me too, but I'm not sure what to do! HELP!_

_AWWW! I kinda figured that you would fall for him! What makes you think he likes you…just wondering?_

_He tried to kiss me quite a few times yesterday and has been acting nervously around me, plus while I was in the shower yesterday, he came in because he heard me singing and started blushing when I stuck my head out of the side of the curtain!_

_Okay…wow! He definitely likes you! I'd tell him exactly how you feel! It can't hurt you because he feels the same way! Aw! Serenity, I really hope you guys get together! That'd be sooo cute!_

_You don't think he's too old for me, right?_

_The age difference shouldn't matter if you guys love each other that much!_

_That's what I've been telling myself…thanks a lot, Em! I knew I could come to you about this!_

_It's no problem! The only question is…how are you going to tell your parents?_

I sighed, _Honestly, I have no idea…maybe I won't tell them at all…._

Over the past week since Criss came, they haven't been getting along with me quite well. They said I spent too much time with Criss and said I was getting a little obsessive and clingy. We'd been through quite a few fights over the course of the week and I always felt bad for Criss, who could probably hear them from his room. I tried to just block out what they had to say on the subject because I honestly didn't care what they had to say anymore. They had no idea the emotions I had and they would probably never understand.

_You have to tell them sometime…_

The bell then rang and as I packed up to leave, I felt a buzz coming from my purse. I quickly looked at my phone to se a text message from Criss:

_Hey, meet me at the parking lot immediately after school…we need to talk. I need to tell you something._

Oh no…what could this be now?

Criss was very quiet on the way back to the beach. Why he was taking me here, I didn't know. He seemed very scared and anxious, an emotion I wasn't used to seeing in him. Regardless of what he had to tell me, now was the time to tell him how much I cared.

"Serenity, I need to confess something to you…"

"As do I, but I don't want to seem like a copy-cat or have it not be the situation I need to explain, so go back and forth with me." He nodded and continued,

"There's no easy way to say this, but I've known who you were for a long time."

I wanted to ask so many questions, but I had to confess to him, "There's more to the reason as to why I wrote that letter, and more to why I can't explain anything to my family or why I don't get along with them at times…"

"Months before I received your letter, you were appearing in my dreams, turning them into nightmares. Every dream was always the same; I was chasing you in the desert. You would turn around to me, I'd reach out for you and sink into the sand and die. I'd call out to you but you'd never respond, and I would die."

I stood stunned, but brought myself to keep on confessing, "You've been my idol for years, and I genuinely care about you. People used to make fun of me and say I was obsessed; crazy obsessed. They'd say I was a psycho and I needed help because I cared too much about someone who didn't even know I existed. My own family even said this to me! I never cared; though, because I knew that you were the only person who truly understood me, even though you weren't there."

"You were so beautiful in my dreams and the more I saw you, the more enticed I became."

Tears formed in my eyes, this was it. "Then it came to me; before you arrived here, I realized something that had been haunting me for the longest time…"

"I never fully realized until a few days ago, but I know why you appeared to me in my dreams, why I was driven to you…"

Then we both spoke at the same moment…

"I love you."


	11. Chapter 11: Ethereal

**Chapter 11: Ethereal**

We both just stood there, not knowing what to say. I was crying and Criss just had a look of shock on his face.

"You love me?" He spoke softly. I stared deep into his eyes and nodded quickly, but subtly.

"Yes. I love you. I've always loved you; I'll forever love you. Oh God, I'm so desperately, uncontrollably in love with you!" I threw myself against him and wrapped my hands around his neck, pulling him in close to me. As I had my forehead pressed to his, I quickly whispered, "Criss…"

"Serenity…" He instantly whispered back.

We then both gave way to our deepest desires and kissed each other as deeply as physically possible. My lips were quivering and my hands were constantly shaking as I rubbed one in his hair. His hands were on my hips, rubbing along my sides and to my back. I never pulled away from him, I couldn't. I was finally kissing the one person my spirit longed for and my heart craved for. I was finally living a life that had meaning.

Although millions of thoughts could've been running through my head at that moment, I thought of nothing more than the situation that was happening. I had no need to; nothing in this world could make my life any more perfect. If I could, the only thing I would want to do every moment of my life would be to press my lips to his and speak no words to each other. Our actions, our eyes and our smiles would say all that was needed.

When we finally did pull away, our foreheads rested against each other and our mouths remained slightly opened as my tears continued rolling down my face. I closed my eyes and took in deep breaths to fully grasp what had just happened.

Criss held my face in his palm and lifted my head to look into his loving eyes straight on. He lightly brushed my cheeks down to my chin and rubbed his thumb against the top. "You okay?"

I smiled, 'No…but then again, why would I want to be?" I moved into him again and kissed him passionately. This time, we slowly moved down into the sand so we were lying next to one another. Never once did our lips part, we were always twined together. When we did part, I looked at him and smiled, pushing a piece of hair out of his face.

"So, you were dreaming of me?" I asked curiously, "What did I look like? What was I doing?"

Criss smiled and brushed his hand along my face and played with my hair. "Well, first of all the thing I noticed first was that you were breathtakingly beautiful." I blushed and looked down. "Don't look down on me!" He teased.

"I'm not breathtaking!" I sarcastically joked.

"Oh, contraire! I beg to differ! In all seriousness; though, I first noticed how pretty you were. You were wearing a long, silky pink dress and your hair was straightened down like you're wearing it now. You only looked at me from the side once and then just kept running. Then suddenly, you stopped and as I reached out to you, I would sink into the sand, which became water. I could still see you from the top and as I tried to reach the surface, it was as if a barrier was there. It wouldn't let me escape, so it was assumed that I died. I always woke up before I was dead."

"And you saw me in real life on Twitter after those dreams?"

"Yeah, I saw your tweet immediately after I had said good morning to you guys one morning and I instantly recognized you when I saw your face."

"Wow, I guess I have great timing then!" I joked. He smiled as he pushed my bangs to the side and brought me in closer to him. I rested my head in the cradle of his neck and shoulder and gently ran my fingers across his chest, feeling each muscle react to my touch.

"Your fingers feel amazing…" I breathed in and gently kissed his throat slowly over and over again. He slowly ran his hands up and down my back, causing my breaths to become more staggered and my heart to race uncontrollably.

"Criss, you don't think I'm crazy, do you?"

"What? Of course not! Why would I think you're crazy? I think you're the most brilliant, creative, loving, amazing girl I've ever met in my life! And if you think you're crazy…. then I'm right there with you!"

I subtly smiled and looked up at him, "I love you, Christopher."

"I love you, Serenity." He slowly moved on top of me and ran his hand up my leg while kissing me again. I moved my hands onto his back and gripped what I could tightly, almost digging my nails into him. He hesitantly moved his left hand slightly up my shirt, only enough to touch about three inches of skin. Again, my heart began to race.

"This is crazy." I half moaned out.

Criss only smiled his amazingly sexy smile, "This is magic." He pressed himself tightly against my body, still rubbing my skin with his fingers. I moaned out directly into his ear,

"Criss…" He moaned back and continuously pressed his lips along my neck and collarbone since my shirt came off my shoulder a little bit. He then moved his hand up my shirt all the way and felt around my bra and where it cut sideways on the top. I tightly gripped his shirt from the light touch of his fingers before finally pulling it off, exposing his beautiful chest. I ran my hand all along his perfectly shaped muscles and tried to kiss wherever I could.

All good things come to an end; mine came crashing down at my feet with the appearance of one person. And all it took to destroy my life was one word: my own name.

"SERENITY!"

I looked behind me, turned white as a ghost and my heart went from a racing horse, to a lifeless body. There was my mother, enraged as if all of the hatred in the world joined as one to produce an expression on her face. Criss immediately removed his hand from my shirt and moved off of me. I; on the other hand, could do nothing. I neither moved nor breathed. I was purely terrified. I was even afraid to think.

As she walked closer towards me, I could feel the pure terror in her footsteps. The hatred in her eyed was the most frightening thing I had ever seen in my life. She towered over me and her voice was filled with disgust,

"Get your ass in the car…_now_!"

I turned back to look at Criss, knowing that I probably would never be allowed to see him again. Tears consumed my eyes and the expression I gave him told him that I was done for and more afraid than I've ever been. He could only return the look of fear for me. As I slowly got up, my mother fiercely grabbed me by the arm and dragged me away from him. I didn't know what was going to happen to me and I think I would rather have died than endure any punishment they had for me. And I knew that punishment involved Criss in some way.

This could be the only time I would ever see his sweet face again, feel his love from a distance so I quickly turned my head to him and mouthed, "I love you." He mouthed it back to me as I saw the tears rolling down his cheeks. Once again, I was lost and alone.


	12. Chapter 12: Infernal

**Chapter 12: **

I honestly had no idea what was in store for me when I walked in my front door. My mother was silent to me the entire ride home and I was afraid to display any emotion in front of her in fear of what she might do to me. I stayed somewhat curled up on the far right side of the seat and even in my head said silently,

_Dear God, please don't take him from me…He's all I have left. Please don't take him away._

Everything was taken from me; I was completely disconnected from the world by every way possible. No phone, no computer, no T.V., no car and I was forced out of my room into the guest room so I couldn't see his face on my walls. I was banned from seeing him at all. Luckily, I had snuck a wallet-sized photo of him and kept it well hidden.

For that entire weekend, I just sat up in that room and cried until my eyes had run dry. The one thing in my life that had finally made me happy and feel completed, and it was gone. The only thing that I had that no one could ever take away from me was my true and passionate love for him. No matter how many times I had tried explaining it to my parents, they still thought I was messed up in the head. To make matters even worse for me, after my graduation, they had arranged for me to check into a mental hospital and meet with various psychiatrists until I was "healed."

My life was falling apart as I knew it, the only thing I could do was to be subjected to its course. Although, there was another way out of it…I had tried not to think about it, but it seemed as though it was the only way out for me. I was contemplating suicide. The only thing was, I didn't know how or when I was going to do it. I didn't know even if I should, or if I had the guts to do it. I was so confused and scared. All I could do was cry.

That Sunday night, my parents were going out to dinner and Cass was at a party. They had left me home alone and made sure that I couldn't take my car while they were gone. Now that the house was empty, it would be the perfect time to commit suicide, but I still wasn't sure. I had gone out to the pool in the backyard, just to clear my head for a while. I looked down at the water and moved my hands in the ripples, tears forming in my eyes again.

_I miss you so much…_

I took a slow breath in, holding it for a few moments before releasing it.

_I'm never going to see you again…_

Again, a slow breath in, held it, and released it.

_You gave my life meaning, you gave me life and now that you're gone…_

A hesitant breath in, holding it even longer and barely releasing it…

_Well…_

I dipped myself slowly into the water as the last few tears came streaming down my face.

_Goodbye, Criss._

As I went to take my last breath, I heard a voice coming from behind me, the most beautiful voice I've ever known.

"Serenity?"

I immediately stood up from the water, "CRISS!" I ran as fast as I could into his arms and cried uncontrollably. "I missed you so much! I have nothing! I have nothing! I thought I'd never see you again!"

He wrapped his arms tightly around my wet body. "Shhh...It's okay, baby, I'm here!"

"Oh, God!" I began hyperventilating my sentences, "I was going to kill myself, I couldn't stand being without you! They've taken everything from me! After graduation, they're putting me in a hospital! I'll never see you again! Criss, I'm so scared! I don't know what to do!"

He rubbed his hands all in my hair and held me even closer. "Calm down, baby, calm down. We'll figure a way out of this, I promise. I won't leave you."

I nodded and reached up to kiss him. I longed for his love again, his kiss brought life back into me. "How'd you get in here?" I asked. "How'd you know my parents were gone?"

"I've been coming around here for the past few days secretly. Your parents had a fit on the phone with me and told me they never wanted to see me again. They gave me my stuff and told me if they ever saw me again, they'd call the cops. They never want me near you again. But, that didn't stop me from getting to my beautiful Serenity…" He spoke in a sweet voice while brushing my cheek with his hand, wiping away the tears. "So, I've kind of been stalking your house and I was here when your parents left, I knew you couldn't possibly be with them so I snuck back here and found you. Serenity, you promised me you'd never do any of that ever again."

"Criss, I'm sorry. I can't live without you. I didn't want to, I didn't. I just saw no other way out of it!"

He sweetly smiled, "There's always a way out."

"You're the most…amazing…" I stopped and stared into his eyes again, something I also longed to do. "I love you so much!"

"I love you more." In an effort to calm me down and since we had a few hours until my parents got back, we went swimming for a while. I was finally happy, even if it was just for a few hours. It was worth it to me. I wanted all of the time I could get with him. At one point, Criss and I were near the outer edge of the pool kissing when all of a sudden; I heard a voice coming from the door. I immediately made Criss duck down so he couldn't be seen.

"Serenity! It's me, Cass! Where are you?"

_Thank God, it's just my brother…_ I thought.

"I'm in the pool, Cass!"

Next time, I should pay attention to where I stick Criss' head, because it was right on my hip where my bikini began. Criss gently rubbed his fingers up and down my leg to my hip and lightly kissed me. He directed his kisses from my hips to my stomach and lightly brushed his fingers anywhere he wanted. I lightly splashed water into his face, but that only encouraged him to tease me more. I tried so hard not to gasp or moan as Cass stepped outside the door.

"I just wanted to let you know I'm home. Mom and Dad should be home within the next two hours."

Before responding to him, I quietly muttered under my breath, "Criss…cut it out!"

"No…" He replied with a sly smile.

"Okay, Cass. Thanks for letting me know!"

"I'm going to bed now, night!"

"Night, Cass!"

As he went back inside, I pushed Criss off of me and scolded, half joking, "CRISS! Are you trying to get me killed?"

He only laughed and wrapped his arms around my waist. "I'm sorry, I couldn't resist!"

I gave him a look and finally confessed, "By the way, you felt amazing. You don't know how badly I wanted to say something…"

"Well, we could always try again, couldn't we?" I smirked and pulled him in for another kiss; slowly parting my lips open so our tongues would touch. He moaned softly and ran his fingers down my leg again. I wrapped both of them around his waist in the water so that he was standing and I was basically sitting in mid-air.

I pulled back and stared into his eyes again as I reached behind my back for the strings on my bikini top. I first reached for the bottom ones and hesitantly pulled them loose. He only watched in amazement.

"Serenity, you don't have to do this…"

"I know, but I want to."

The strings floated to the sides of me in the water as I reached for the ones behind my neck. I pulled those loose, too and let my top fall into the water, now completely exposed. Criss breathed in heavily and pressed his already bare chest onto mine. The feel of our wet, naked torsos on against each other felt incredible. As we kissed again, I took Criss' hand and led it up to my bare chest. He at first lightly touched all around me, making me gasp and moan at each touch.

"Criss…" I managed to moan in between a kiss. He cupped my left breast and continued his light touches with his fingertips. I lightly scraped my nails down his bare back, resulting in a gasp from him. I giggled and did it again, each time resulting in the same reaction. He then forcefully pushed me against the pool wall and kissed me violently and passionately. I moaned into his hair with pleasure as he directed his kisses further down on me. He kissed me along my neck, then my collarbone, moving to my breasts and lightly added the touch of his tongue, my stomach and when he reached my bottoms, I had to stop him.

"Not yet," I said with a smile. "It's not the right time or place." He nodded and apologized for getting too carried away. "No! I enjoyed it…thank you, Criss"

"Thank you? Why are you thanking me?"

"You make me feel so loved, so special. Right now, there are not a lot of people who do that." I reached for my top and started to tie the strings again.

"You're one of the most important people to me; besides my family, I'd never hurt you. I'll always make you feel that way. If anything, I should thank you for trusting me with that. I know that's something you just don't do for anyone you meet." He paused and then whispered; "I have to go" He choked. "I promise, I'll be back for you. I'm not going to leave you." I nodded and kissed him one last time before he got out of the pool and went to go exit the back gate. Before he left, he turned to me and caught my attention, "Hey,"

I looked up at him as he was smiling, "I love you!"

"I love you so much, Christopher." And with that, he escaped through the gate and was gone.


	13. Chapter 13: Umbra

**Chapter 13:**

Friday came very quickly for me and even though I was happy to finally be out of school forever, I knew forever was going to last a very long time. Though; Criss had promised he'd be back for me, how he'd pull that off, I didn't know. I stood standing in the guest room looking myself in the mirror, as I got ready to go. I looked nice, but on the inside I felt like I'd just been stabbed. I put my face in my hands and silently sobbed.

_Where did I go wrong?_

My parents had tried to put on happy faces and be proud of me as they saw me go up onto the stage to receive my diploma. I knew deep down they were proud but at the moment, their anger and disgust towards me was clearly visible. I looked out into the crowd of parents and students, thousands of people there and I only longed to see one. I looked out into the far distance and saw a figure standing in the very back.

I subtly smiled as I came to the realization of who it was. My eyes started to tear up as I thought to myself,

_He came! Criss is actually here!_

My graduation actually became a happy moment for me and the best part was, nobody knew why. I took one last look at the students before leaving; I was never going to see most of these people ever again. In a way, it was sad because I knew most of them to be good-hearted and kind people. The rest of them that were cruel to me throughout the years, I could care less if they got run over by a train the next day. I was finally done with all of them. One less thing to worry about, I guess.

That night as I was getting ready for bed, my mom walked into my room with a lifeless expression on her face.

"Tomorrow, you have your first meeting with a psychiatrist. She'll also be there with you in the hospital."

I became enraged, "Why the hell do you have to send me to a hospital? There's nothing wrong with me!"

"You're insane, Serenity! You've completely lost your sense of reality!" She screamed at me.

"All because I love him?" I threw back in her face. She slapped me hard across my face and pointed her finger at me,

"Don't ever say that again! You do not love him!"

I slowly turned my head and spat in her face, "I. Love. Criss. And there's nothing in this world you can do to change that!" She slapped me again, my face still with the same expression as before.

She angrily laughed and exited my room with a, "You'll see just how much I can do!" She slammed my door, leaving my face red and stinging. I lightly massaged my cheek and looked at my clock, which read, eleven-eleven. This time was like an omen to me!

_Please God, if you're going to answer any prayer of mine, do it now…I can't go to that hospital tomorrow! I'll do anything to get out of this! Please, help me!_

Hours passed by and still no answer to my prayer. It was two in the morning and I still couldn't sleep from the millions of thoughts roaming in my mind. I was scared straight and needed a miracle to get out of here. I was starting to think that Criss wasn't coming back. Even if he was, there was nothing he could do for me.

Just then in the distance, I heard faint sounds of what sounded like a song being played. I slowly went over to the window that looked out to the backyard, the only bedroom window that did. I opened it and looked down to see Criss standing there, playing a guitar and singing.

_Mi amor, I'm not sure of the right words to say_

_Maybe these simple words will do best to best explain_

_What I feel in my heart, what I feel more each day_

_Oh, how to make you see, how to let you know_

_How to say, how to say how I love you so_

_With words you understand,_

_Words that get right through to your heart_

_Here's the place to start_

_Tu amor, I will always be tu amor means the world to me_

_Esteras Siempre en mi Corazon_

_You're the one in my soul_

_And I live for tu amor, tu amor_

I smiled so brightly as he continued to play in the night. I was a hopeless romantic and have always wanted a guy to do something like this for me. I just had hoped it wouldn't have been in this situation… When the song was over, I was practically in tears and called down to him,

"How'd you know I love that song? I never knew you played guitar!"

"I don't! I just learned this about three hours ago! I've heard you sing it a few times!"

"You learned that for me?" He nodded and I sighed. "You know, it would've been more romantic if you had learned it in Italian!"

He shrugged, "I tried! What do you want me to say?"

I just smiled and stared, "I miss you, baby! I wish that this all wasn't happening right now! I'll never see you again after tomorrow…"

"That's why I'm here! Serenity, I want you to come to Las Vegas with me!"

"What? You mean, run away and leave now?"

"Yes! Serenity, I know it sounds insane and maybe I am for thinking it, but please, it's the only thing I could think of that doesn't involve you being miserable the rest of your life! I want to be with you and I couldn't stand going about life knowing where you'll be if you stay here!"

I thought for a second, he was right, I'd much rather run away to Vegas than end up in a nut-house… That meant I could never see my family again; including Cass. Poor Cass, he was just dragged into this unwillingly. If I felt bad for anyone in this entire situation, it was him. I could never see Axl again; even though it may sound stupid, I loved that cat as much as I did any family member.

It then hit me that I would never see my parents again. Of course I loved them but after the way that they had treated me, I was more than willing to cut myself off from them. This also meant I couldn't see my friends, but I wanted to still keep in contact with Emily. She was the one person who had been a true friend to me throughout this entire situation. I couldn't just cut her off from me.

There was really nothing else I'd be leaving behind. I could begin my dream career in Vegas like I had planned to do and at the same time, be with the one I've always loved. I really had nothing to lose. I called back down to Criss,

"You're not insane! Criss, I'm coming with you! Let me pack my stuff! I'll be down as quick as I can! I'll throw my bags out this window to you! Load them in your car and I'll try and sneak out the back door!"

I quickly packed everything I could, including all of my clothes and hygienic needs, my possessions, my posters, my movies. Practically everything I owned except for my furniture was being thrown out that window. I compared it to how in The Grinch Who Stole Christmas when the Grinch throws the bags to Max out the window. I looked around my empty room for the last time before I shut off the light and snuck downstairs. I hugged Axl goodbye and quickly ran to the kitchen to grab a pen and paper.

I wrote a quick goodbye letter to my family, telling them not to bother to look for me and that I was never coming back. They had treated me like shit for years and I wasn't putting up with it anymore. I could make my own decisions in life and if they didn't respect that, then I had no respect for them. I apologized to Cass, telling him that he had nothing to do with any of this and that I hoped to see him soon and that I loved him. By the time they read it, I'd be long gone and never to be seen again. I was satisfied and placed it on the table for them all to see in the morning.

I ran outside to Criss, who was standing by his car. My bags were all packed in his trunk and I was ready to begin my new life with him in Las Vegas.

"Criss, there's something I have to do before we leave for good."

"Sure, babe anything."

"Can I say goodbye to Emily one last time?" He smiled and started the ignition,

"Where does she live?"

Emily wasn't exactly thrilled that I was throwing rocks at her window at three in the morning, but she more than understood when I explained the reason. I met her by the backdoor so I could hug her goodbye. She pulled me in tightly and tears started running down her face.

"I'm going to miss you so much!"

"I'll miss you more. Don't worry, I'll still keep in contact with you!"

She pulled away and looked at Criss. "So, this is the infamous boyfriend I've heard so much about…"

I nodded and pulled him in to be properly introduced, "I'm sorry you guys had to meet this way…"

"It's okay, I'm just glad I finally get to meet you before you guys leave."

"Likewise!" Criss smiled and gave her a hug. He then turned to me, "It's time to go, babe."

Emily elbowed me, "He called you babe!"

I smiled and pulled her in for another hug, "I love you, Em."

"I love you, too. Please call me."

"I will, don't worry."

And with that, I was gone. Away I drove with Criss off to start my new life in Las Vegas. The hard part was getting there without being caught…


	14. Chapter 14: Mystify

_**The reason why I chose the song "Mystify" to be the title of this chapter is because even though this isn't exactly a 'mystifying' chapter, the song itself off Criss' album always reminded me of sped up motions. Like, if someone was going somewhere in a hurry, and usually on MINDFREAK, if Criss uses this song, it's going through places while the camera is sped up. **____** Little fun fact for you guys! Lol!**_

**Chapter 14:**

"I hope you don't mind if we drive there, I wanted to get my Lambo back to Vegas and I thought this would be a good opportunity to do it. Plus, I get to spend more time with you!"

"Not at all, Criss! I've always wanted to take a road trip out to Vegas! I've never been there before!"

Criss smiled, "You'll like it there! You seem like you're a city girl."

"I am! I always love going to New York!" Criss smirked. "What?"

"Vegas is nothing like New York! It's as if you took New York, gave it a few doses of every drug imaginable and _that's_ Las Vegas!"

We both laughed and turned my attention back onto the black roads of the New Jersey Turnpike. I would be lying if I said I wasn't nervous every time I saw a car that looked like mine fly by. Every time a cop car passed; too, I would tense up and hold my breath.

"Hey," I looked back to Criss' comforting eyes. "No one's coming after you, you're completely safe. They probably haven't even noticed you're gone yet…" I took a deep breath and could feel my eyes becoming heavy,

"You're right, babe. I'm fussing over nothing."

He rubbed his right hand on my back, "You should get some sleep, you look like you haven't slept in days…"

"I haven't…" I curled myself up into the seat and rested my head against the window. I was up almost all night for the past few days from anxiety and depression. Every time I tried to fall asleep, I was haunted by nightmares. Now that I was safe again, hopefully they would stop. "Wake me when we get somewhere…" I slowly closed my eyes and the headlights of passing cars what were blurry before, now faded to black.

"_NO! STOP! GET AWAY FROM ME!" I was running through a huge body of water, being followed by dark shadows that I couldn't make out. I became surrounded by fire and stopped dead in my tracks, unable to move. Something below the water grabbed onto my ankles and wouldn't let go no matter how hard I struggled. The dark shadows continued to move in closer and walked right through the fire. _

"_DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH ME! GET AWAY!" They moved closer and closer to me and grabbed every limb, pulling me in different directions as I continued to scream. I closed my eyes, feeling the unbearable pain throughout my entire body. I then opened my eyes to find I was in a room similar to ones you'd find in the movie __Saw__. I looked around to see torture devices at every angle of the room, and my name engraved in a piece of wood._

_The wood hung on the wall furthest from me and looked as through my name was carved by fingernail. I looked down at myself to see that I was in a straight jacket and chained to the floor by my ankles. I screamed and attempted escape, but nothing happened. The dark shadows appeared before me again under the wooden sign and whispered,_

"_You're next, nut-job." They all let out a maniacal laugh, watching me tug and pull at the restraints and scream for my life._

"NO!" I sat up in the bed I was placed in, screaming and sweating until I realized it was just another nightmare. This was one of the reoccurring nightmares I was having a few days ago. My heart was still racing and I was breathing heavily. I put my hands in my face and tried to calm myself down.

_I thought I was done with this, why is this still happening to me?_

Criss startled next to me and sat up to comfort me,

"Baby, what's wrong? Did you have a nightmare?"

"Yeah…yeah I did. It's nothing to worry about, I'm fine."

He stroked my back, "Are you sure? Do you want to talk about it? You're scared out of your mind."

"No, no. Criss, really I'm okay." I wanted to get off the subject, so I asked, "Where are we? What time is it?"

Criss looked at the clock by the bedside, "It's about ten in the morning, we're only in Pennsylvania, not even on Route Eighty yet."

I fell face-first into the pillow and groaned.

_Not even half way there yet…_ I paused before muffling through the pillow, "I'll drive later if you want…"

"Right now, I just want to sleep!" He joked. The shades were pulled over the windows; which still made the room appear dark. "The sun's not up yet!"

I chuckled and moved in close to him, "Can you hold me?" Without a word, he pulled me into his chest and stroked my hair. I felt so safe in his arms. Nothing could get to me, nothing could hurt me. I pushed the memory of the horrible nightmare out of my head and kissed his chest. He kissed my forehead as we both drifted back off to sleep.

It was now around two in the afternoon and we were back on the road again, about to cross over into Ohio and get onto Route Eighty. I sat there in the passenger seat, twirling my phone around in my hand. I hadn't turned it on since I left last night and I was kind of curious to see if anyone had tried to call or message me.

_Don't do it…It'll only cause you more pain…whatever you do, do not turn on your ph-_

I turned it on… I don't know why, but I did.

"What are you doing?" Criss glanced at me from the side.

"I'm curious to see if I have any messages…" The letters glowed in my face and the main screen finally came up. I anxiously waited a few minutes, but nothing appeared. "Huh, no messages at all…maybe they haven't noticed yet?"

"I highly doubt it, it's already two-o-clock. Maybe they finally took the hint that you weren't going to put up with anything anymore."

I smiled and looked back out the window, "Yeah…maybe they did." Had I finally made them realize what I would do if they weren't there for me? For once, I felt victorious. I was now in control and I wasn't ever turning back to my old ways. I wasn't going to let them manipulate me or abuse me anymore…

This road trip was probably the most fun I'd had in a long time! Criss and I took turns driving; which was particularly exciting for me because _I_ got to drive his Lambo! It was definitely the coolest thing I'd ever done! I felt so powerful behind the wheel and felt like I was driving in the Indy five hundred race!

I didn't mind the hotels every night or eating on the road because I knew what was lying in store for me in a few days time. Personally, I'd always liked hotels. They were really comfortable to me, if they were nice. People would stare at us whenever we walked into a public place holding hands or had our arms wrapped around each other. I never cared; though, what they thought. The only thing that mattered was that I was with him. Criss was proud to show me off; which made me feel extremely special!

A few days had passed and at that point, I didn't know where the hell we were anymore. Middle America all looked the same to me on that highway. Nothing but plains, plains and more plains. I needed civilization or I would've gone mad! When we reached Utah, I became excited! We were only hours away from my new future! I leaned over quickly and kissed Criss on the cheek.

"What was that for?" He smiled at me.

"For saving me, for bringing me out here. No one else would do this for me…"

"I love you."

"I love you more!"

About seven hours later, Criss was shaking me to wake me up from a nap.

"What?" I asked groggily, "Are we stopping for the night?"

"Oh, we're stopping…" He smiled and pointed out the window to a huge sign with colorful bright lights around it;

_Welcome To Fabulous Las Vegas_

Here goes nothing…


	15. Chapter 15: Fight

**Chapter 15:**

"Wow…I think if this city was any brighter, I'd go blind!"

Criss laughed, "You'll get used to it, it's really pretty at night and I have the perfect view from my house!"

"Oh...you mean umm…Serenity?" I smiled nervously and pushed a strand of hair behind my ears. I saw Criss smile and laugh through his nose,

"That's the one! We're not going there just yet, though. I want to go to the Luxor first and let my crew know that I'm back. Is that okay?"

My eyes widened, "Are you kidding? I've always wanted to go to the Luxor! You don't know how excited I am!" He smiled again and turned on the radio, flipping through each station to look for something good to play. Finally, he came across a station playing _Showstopper_ by Danity Kane, an older song from when I was in middle school. Criss went to go change the station, but I pushed his hand away,

"No! Leave it! I love this song!" I started to sing out loud and dance to the rhythm, "_We in the caaarrr. We ride slooooww! We doin' things that the girls don't doooo! The boys stare, we smile back. All my girls in the rainbow Cadillac's. Yeah"_

Criss raised his eyebrow at me, "You've got to be kidding me!"

"Shut up!" I laughed, "It's my guilty pleasure song! Besides, you were with them once on an award show! So you have nothing to say!"

"How do you even remember that? I don't even remember that!"

I stared at him for a long moment before he finally realized that I knew everything there was to know about him; which included his guest appearances. I stuck my head out the window and shouted the lyrics at the top of my lungs and teased Criss by singing the lyrics in his ear. He just laughed and shook his head,

"You're so embarrassing!"

I kissed his cheek, "But you love me!" We pulled into the Luxor parking lot and Criss pulled my face into his,

"I do." He kissed my lips softly while still holding my cheek in his hand. "Are you ready?"

I nodded, "Let's go." He started to get out of the car, but I pulled him back down, "On one condition." He raised one eyebrow. "Only if you kiss me again…" He smiled and happily surrendered to my demand.

T.V. does the Luxor no justice whatsoever! The place was enormous and completely covered with Egyptian décor. I was fascinated at every angle and stopped to stare at almost everything in there. Criss took me backstage to meet a few people and straighten out some things with his show. As he left me alone for a few minutes to talk to a crew member, a young woman slowly walked past me, staring me up and down.

_What is she looking at? I don't look like that much of a slob, do I?_

She finally walked up to me and breathed out a puff of smoke from her cigarette, "You new here?"

I subtly coughed and replied, "Yeah, I'm Serenity. I'm here with Criss."

"I'm Diana, and I noticed…looks like he'll pick up anyone these days…"

"Excuse me?"

Before she could reply, another woman stepped in, "Diana! Come on, leave her alone! Get out of here!" Diana looked me up and down one last time, scoffed, and walked away. "Don't mind her, she's just the bitch that works around here."

"I've realized that…I'm Serenity."

"I'm Belle, it's nice to meet you! I work as part of the crew here at 'beLIEve'."

I shook her hand and smiled, "It's nice to meet you too! Good to know there are some decent people around here!"

"Of course there are! Most of the people around here are really nice! Just stay away from Diana and you'll be okay!"

"Yeah, what's with her? She doesn't even know me! I haven't done anything to her!"

"You walked in here with Criss, that's what you've done to her. She's been trying to get with Criss ever since she started working here. Every time he brings a girlfriend back here, she gets jealous and tries to mess with them. We've been trying to get her fired for months."

"Oh…well that's heart-warming…" Criss then came up behind me and wrapped his arm around my shoulder,

"Hey baby, I see you've met a few people around here!"

"Yeah! Most of them are really nice!" I turned back to Belle, "Maybe we can hang out sometime! Thank you, by the way…"

"It's no problem! I'd hate to see you get trampled on by her! I'll definitely see you around! I'll see you tonight, Criss!"

Criss turned to me as Belle walked away, "What are you guys talking about?"

"Some girl Diana…she was being rude to me before and Belle stepped in to help."

"Oh yeah, Diana…I'm not so fond of her. I've been thinking of firing her. She's rude to a lot of people around here, there's no way I'm going to let her be rude to you…" He took my hand and pulled me further backstage to look for her. "Diana, can I talk to you for a second?" She sneered at me again and reluctantly came forward. "I'd very much appreciate it if you'd treat my girlfriend with a little more respect, please. I don't want any trouble between you two so please make the best of it whenever you two cross paths…"

"Whatever…" She rolled her eyes and went back to her job.

"I'd also appreciate it if you didn't smoke in here!" She completely ignored him and continued to smoke.

I pursed my lips and raised my eyebrows, "Well, that went well…"

Criss smirked and took my hand, "Forget about her. Come on, let's go have some fun!"

About an hour later, Criss and I were sitting down at one of his favorite restaurants, Opa. I've seen him mention it a few times and he always made it sound so appealing!

"This food is amazing!" I exclaimed after I took another bite.

"I told you!" I rolled my eyes at him and kept eating.

"Criss, I really appreciate you bringing me here, and to Vegas!"

"Like I said, I wanted to!" He then rubbed my hand and spoke in a southern accent, "You're my girl!" I smiled at his reference and replied in my southern accent,

"I'll always be your girl!"

"Anyway, I want to know…what's something you really want to do right now?"

"Well, if it's not too much to ask…" I paused.

"What?" He smiled and rubbed his thumb over the back of my hand.

I looked into his eyes with deep sincerity, "I really want to meet your family!"

He widely smiled, touched by my request, "You'll meet them tonight at my house, but I'm so happy you asked! Pick something else, though!"

I thought for a few minutes before finally realizing that there was one thing I've always wanted to do when I eventually came to Vegas, "Can we go to the rides on the Stratosphere?"

Criss seemed a little shocked by my request, "Umm…sure! I've never done them before so it's something new for me too!"

"Really? I would've thought that a thrill seeker like you would've done something like that a long time ago!"

"I never got the chance! I didn't know you liked that kind of stuff!"

"Yeah! I love it! I should've taken you to Six Flags back in Jersey! You would've loved it!"

He shrugged, "Maybe we'll go back sometime, but right now, let's go!"

"THAT WAS INSANE!" I yelled as soon as we exited the Sky Jump. My hair was practically destroyed, as was Criss'.

"HELL YEAH IT WAS!" He yelled back. We were full of adrenaline and left the place screaming to the skies. We didn't care who heard us or what anyone would do about it, the moment was ours. We were walking back to his car when I felt a vibration in my bag.

_Oh no…please don't be what I think it is…_

I hesitantly pulled the phone out of my bag and pushed the front button to view the cause of the vibration. My heart stopped and sunk to my stomach when I read the text on the front screen;

_1 missed call: Mom_

_1 new voicemail_


	16. Chapter 16: Awake

**Chapter 16**

"Babe, are you okay? You've been acting differently since we got off of the Sky Jump."

We were in the car on the way to Criss' mansion to meet his family and welcome me to my new home. I had chosen not to mention the call from my mom because I didn't want to ruin the night for everyone. I'd feel horrible doing that to his family, especially since it was my first time meeting them; which put enough pressure on me already. I had both thoughts swirling around in my head, stressing me out to no end. The worst part was that I had no idea what the message from my mom said, I was too afraid to even listen to it…

"Yeah, no I'm fine…the ride must've had an after shock on me…"

The house was even more gorgeous than I could ever imagine. The second we pulled into his driveway; which was filled with his car and motorcycle collection, I was in awe. From the outside, the house was gorgeous, but nothing compared to the inside. As soon as the doors swung open, I was surrounded by exquisite design and walls filled with artwork and memorabilia. I was speechless.

"So, what do you think?"

"…. Wow…. I've never seen anything like this! I could get used to this house!"

He rubbed his hand across the back of my neck and kissed into my ear, "I'm glad you like it…" I giggled and playfully pushed him away, the thoughts of the message still in the back of my mind.

"Christopher, is that you?" Now that was one motherly voice that I knew I wanted to hear. A smile swept across my face and all of my worries were a thing in the past at that moment.

"Come on, there's someone I want you to meet!" Criss smiled and pulled me into his large living room. There; sitting on the couch, were his mother and brother, Costa. I definitely think I was more nervous about meeting them than I was with Criss. I was worried what they'd think of me; especially his mother. I wanted to do whatever I could to make an excellent first impression on her. "Mom, I want you to meet someone special…this is my girlfriend, Serenity." I stood somewhat behind Criss, nervous to hear her reaction.

I could tell she thought I was too young for him, but she smiled and came over to greet me. "It's very nice to meet you, Serenity!" I loved her thick Greek accent! I always found his mom to be such an interesting person; her comments on MINDFREAK were always so funny! She kissed my cheek and hugged me for a few seconds. I then saw Costa get up as Criss introduced me to him. He too pulled me in for a hug.

"It's such an honor to meet you guys! I've always loved Criss' family from seeing you on MINDFREAK all the time. I was really looking forward to meeting you!" His mom laughed and turned back to Criss,

"How long have you been together?"

We both thought for a moment, "A few weeks, maybe a month? It's not a long time but I really like her, mom. Give her a chance; I think you'll like her too! You know I wouldn't bring home anyone that you wouldn't approve of!"

"I know, Christopher. Just be wise about it, please. Nothing against you, Serenity."

"Oh! I don't blame you; I know I seem too young to be dating your son. But, I do genuinely care about him and I would never do anything that would make any of you not trust me!"

She nodded, "I appreciate that, it means a lot to know that my son is cared for."

"What about me?" Costa jokingly added in.

"Aww! Costa, I love you too!" I ran up and squeezed him in for a hug.

The next couple of hours were spent hanging out in Criss' living room, watching a few movies and having small conversations. By the end of the night, I think that Criss' mom had really started to like me and trust me. I felt comfortable around her and she started to feel more like a mother to me than my actual one. The more motherly she felt to me, the more intensely my worries came back.

Criss' mom and brother had gone to their parts of the house while Criss brought me into his bedroom to talk, "Okay, what happened before that got you so upset? Towards the end of the night; too, you seemed to be getting upset again."

I took a long, deep breath and as tears formed in my eyes, I whispered out, "My mom…she called before and left a message. I haven't heard it yet." Criss brought me close to him and kissed my forehead while he massaged the back of my neck.

"If you want, do you want me to listen to it with you? I nodded and pulled out my phone to dial my voicemail. I took a deep breath as I typed in my voicemail password. The automatic lady came on to tell me I had one new message,

"_Listen up, you little bitch, you think you can just run away from home and expect us to leave it be as it is? Guess again, we will find you and when we do, you better pray that a mental hospital is all we put you in!"_

I was now broken down into tears, buried in Criss' chest and running my hands along his abs.

_This can't be happening! Why is this happening to me? Why can't I just be happy?_

"Don't cry, Serenity. We'll figure a way out of this, I promise." He gently kissed my lips, which had traces of my tears flowing onto them. I kissed him back passionately and pushed myself tightly up against his body. His presence gave me such a tremendous sense of peace and warmth. He gave me hope that there was a way out. But, just the sound and tone of my mom's voice filled me with fear,

"Criss, I'm afraid…" He moved in close to my ear and slowly moved his hand up my leg,

"There's nothing to be afraid of…" He slowly kissed my neck and slid the straps of my camisole and bra off my shoulder. Brushing my arm up and down with one hand, he started to slide the other hand up my shirt. Although I knew that this is what I had always wanted, that I was addicted to him and I needed to be happy, now that it was actually happening, I wasn't entirely sure if this was right.

"Criss, are you sure about this?" He gave me a sexy smile,

"I don't know, but I don't care. I love you and I want you, I want to make you happy." He kissed me fiercely and suddenly, everything before this moment had surpassed my memory. I had no memory of past events, only the one taking place. The intimate experience I was about to have with Criss. I became immensely turned onto him and kissed him with the same intensity he was giving to me, tearing off his shirt faster than I could think. He tore off my camisole and moved to my back, leaving a trail of kisses down my spine. I gasped at each one and leaned my head back into him.

I tightly gripped the sheets beneath me as he came around to my stomach and slid my jeans off, tracing his fingertips over my legs. I fell back onto the pillow and let him take complete control over me. I felt so safe around him and knew how much he truly loved me to want to do this. Kissing my legs slowly, my heart began to eace and I started to shake.

"Are you okay? I'll stop if you want…"

I smiled and bit my bottom lip, "No! Don't stop, I'm just a little nervous…I've never done this before." He slid back up to my face and pushed the hair out of my face.

"Don't be nervous, I won't hurt you. If you want me to stop at anytime…just tell me." I started to unbutton his pants and pulled him down onto me,

"Now why would I want that?" We were now only in our undergarments, rolling around in his bed under the sheets kissing. His hand outlined my figure and kissed all along my neck, down to my chest. As my nails scraped down his toned back, I let out a breathy, "Criss…"

He moaned in between kisses and teased me with every touch of his fingers, moving them slowly to my underwear. He started to lightly tickle me through the thin fabric,

"St-ah-op –Ahh- teasing!" He only gave me his hot smile and started to rub me slowly, barely applying any pressure. His touch drove me insane! I desperately tried to get him to work against me harder; begging him for more. "Criss!" I cried over and over again. "Criss! Criss!"

"What?" He replied with a witty smile, continuing his torturous pleasure.

"Please!" I begged, "I can't- I can't take it!" He chuckled and said,

"Watch…" he waved both of his hands over my underwear three times. The third time they crossed, they were gone! They had vanished before my very eyes! I was dumbfounded. As he made subtle movements downwards, I stuttered out,

"How-wh-how did you do that?"

"A magician never reveals his secrets…" With that, he moved his mouth onto me, swirling his tongue inside of me while his hands lightly grasped onto my hips. My head fell back and I grabbed what I could of the sheets, my hips rose up about two inches off the bed. The sensation was incredible and unlike anything I'd ever experienced.

"Oh God! Oh my God, Criss! You-ahh! You're amazing! I-I'm-oh! CRISS!" I felt myself building up and Criss could tell by the way I began to breathe, so he stopped. I begged for him to continue, trying to catch my breath. He ran his lips lightly back up my body and reached around my back to undo my bra. I arched my back and felt the clasps hit my sides. He slid my bra off my arms and threw it off to the side of the room. I ripped off his black underwear and let out a stuttered breath,

"I love you…"

"I love you, too" He kissed me again and slid deep into me, both of us moaning into each other's mouths from the sensation. Like the first time he kissed me, I thought of nothing else except for the present. It was impossible for me to have any thoughts! The feeling of our naked bodies pressed against each other was intoxicating, so stimulating. I hungered for every part of him, every inch of skin to come in contact with mine.

"Serenity…"

"Criss!" He rubbed his hands all around my upper body and with each thrust, he went deeper inside of me and built up the incredible feelings again. I moaned and screamed his perfect name into his hair and scraped my nails down his back, making him shiver and moan into my neck. Suddenly, I felt waves of unbelievable pleasure rise through my entire body as I felt a powerful orgasm hit me.

"CRISS!" It was only moments later that I felt Criss reach his, too. Breathing sporadically, he fell onto me and lightly kissed me with what little energy he had left. The sweat from our bodies poured onto each other as I ran my fingers through his hair. After a few minutes, he finally spoke,

"Hey," I looked down at his face on my chest, "I love you."

"I love you more." We kissed for one final time before we had both developed heavy eyes and drifted off to sleep, still holding each other close.


	17. Author Add In

**Hey Guys! I'm so so SOOOO sorry that I haven't updated this in almost a year! I got so busy and then forgot all about it! BUT! I can assure you that I'm gonna get back to writing it ASAP! :D Hopefully I'll have a new chapter up within the next few weeks! **

**I've also read some AMAZING stories over the past year that I think gave me a new look on writing! Thanks for being patient and thank you for reading and commenting! I love you guys! 3333**


End file.
